Thomas a



(No Model.)

T. A. LEE. CEILING, ROOF, OR LIKE STRUCTURE.

Patented Nov. 27, 1894.

T LU r I PATENT THOMAS A. LEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

I CEILING, ROOF, OR LIKE STRUCTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,923, dated November 2'7, 1894.

Application filed April 27, 1893 .To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. LEE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oeilin gs, Roofs, or Like Structures, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My'invention relates particularly to ceilin gs adapted to be used in fire-proof constructions, though it will be clearly apparent that it is applicable to roofs and other structures. Its purpose is to produce a ceiling at once self-sustaining from one support to the next, and light, fire-proof, simple, durable, readily put up, and inexpensive. Certain other incidental advantages are hereinafter noted.-

-To these purposes my invention consists of a method of construction and a complete structure produced, together with certain single features and parts, constructed, arranged, combined, and used, substantially in the manner hereinafter described, illustrated,

.and claimed.

For convenience of explanation I will describe my invention as employed in floors built on the flat-arch-and I-beam principle.

The ceiling may, then, be erected and sup ported in short spans extending between the lower flanges of adjacent I-beams. I support my ceiling throughout its length by employing tension rods rigidly cemented in or near the base of the ceiling tiles and operating in the manner set forth in the patents granted to me October 13, 1891, numbered 461,029 and 461,028. The tiles act like rows of beams supporting transverse loads and are strong enough to resist the compression in their upper portions while the firmly cemented rods supply the necessary tensile strength to their bases. Preferably I form the tiles with channels, either in the upper or lower faces, for receiving the ceiling rods, and with vertical ribs rising high above the tension rods to sustain the compression strains. When in place the tension rods extend transversely from I- beam to I-beam. The weight of the ceiling bringing tensile and compression strains upon the vertical ribs is directly supported by the tiles and the more tensile strength of the Serial No. 472,117. (No model.)

or platform beneath the I-beams and at proper height; and then I may lay (in one form of my construction) those ceiling tiles that have grooves in their upper faces. :take the rods and cement them firmly at the bottom of the grooves or channels, filling the channels entirely full with cement and thus increasing the strength of the ribs or compression resisting portion of the ceiling. In my preferred method of construction, howover, which is peculiarly my own, I first lay the tension rodsin position, supporting them slightly above the scaffolding or platform by small forked nails. I then take the ceiling tiles that have rod channels in their base and, filling the channels entirely flush with coment, I press the tiles down upon the rods and into place, thereby causing the rods to be forced'into the cement. When the ceiling has moved piece by piece, thenails drawing out of the cement and leaving the completed ceiling.

Such briefly is a description of my invention as embodied in one form of ceiling.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section of a ceiling taken longitudinally through one of the tile ribs, transversely to the I-beam, and parallel with my ceiling rods. Fig. 2 is a cross section of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and a are details of my undulating ornon-shearing ceiling or roof rods. Fig. 5 is a detail of one method After this I v of terminating my rods. Fig. 6 shows a clamp by which each ceiling rod may be extended under several I-beams in a single length. Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 2 showing the form of tile with the rod channels in the upper face. Fig. 8 is illustrative of my method of constructing ceilings of the form shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a section showing 80 thoroughly hardened the scaffolding is re- Y the tension rods supported upon the forked nails and forced into the cemented tile, and Fig. 10 shows one of the forked nails used.

In the figures like letters of reference indicate like parts.

In Fig. 1, B are the floor-beams supporting short spans of floor-arch tiles F.

T indicates the ceiling tiles provided with the ribs 75. The tension or ceiling rods R are shown cemented in channels at the base of the tiles and turned up at their ends to rest upon the floor beams as shown in Fig. 5 The lower or main portions of the tiles abut and terminate at the flanges of the I-beam as shown in Fig. 1 extending somewhat below in order that soifit tiles may be used as shown in the figures to complete the tile surface of the ceiling, ready for the finishing coat of plaster. The ribst project over and hang upon the lower flanges of the I-beams to support the ceiling. Between the rows of tiles '1 with their ribs t, I may place differently shaped tiles, T, unprovided with tension rods and overlapping the tiles T; in which case the tiles T are first laid with proper spacing between the courses and the tiles T afterward added above and between them.

My ceiling rods may be of various cross sections and shapes. In other applications I have shown heavier tension rods of spiral and twisted forms for use in floors. The present rods on the contrary are designed especially for lightness. The simpler form, shown in Fig. 3, is a corrugated, undulating, or serpentine rod depending for its non-shearing qualities on its deviations from the straight line and possessing sufficient stiffmess to preserve its undulating form without the use of spreaders or other foreign support. The rod shown in Fig. 4 is spiral, corkscrew, or undulating in two planes.

In the claims I employ the term undulating as a generic expression covering deviation in any form from the straight medial line of the rod.

When I employ rods in lengths great enough to extend beneath two or more of the I-beams, I use the C-shaped clamps, 0, Fig. 6, which embrace and hang upon the lower flanges of the beams and inclose, in diagonal direction, the ceiling rod.

In Fig. 7 I show my form of ceiling that has the rod channels in the upper faces of the tiles. This form is more conveniently laid than the other, but is not quite so perfect because the rods are not placed as near the lower face of the ceiling. The tiles T, as

seen, contain channels for the rods provided right of the figure. This method is so simple that no further explanation is needed.

The remaining figures are illustrative of my method of erecting the ceiling shown in Fig. 1. The platform or scafiolding is shown, in part, at P. The rods supported by the V- shaped nails N Fig. 10, are indicated as before by R. In Fig. 8 the grooved or channeled tile T, with the grooves or channels filled with cement, is shown in midair just above the rods, ready to be pressed down upon them. Fig. 9 shows the tile pressed down, the rods with their supports having entered the cement-filled channels, and the tiles now resting upon the platform P. The great advantage of this form of ceiling lies in the fact that the tension rods are placed nearer the base and thus removed as far as possible from the compression bearing members, giving a maximum strength for minimum mate rial. This will perhaps be made more clear by again turning to Fig. 1. The vertical arrows above the center of the ceiling show the direction of the force due to the Weight of the materials. The smaller arrows indicate the resulting crushing forces in the upper portion or ribs and the tensile forces in the lower portion of the ceiling. From this it will be apparent that, for a given thickness or height of the ceiling, the effective strength increases with the distance apart and with the strength of the ribs and tension rods.

I am very Well aware that ceilings have heretofore been formed of light tile work and stifi bars or small girders cemented on edge in grooves within the tiles; but the cement operated merely to hang the tiles upon the bars and the bars themselves supplied all the transverse strength. My invention is utterly difierent from this because my tiles and tension rods cemented together are a unit necessary to the support of the ceiling, and rods being merely used to supply tensile strength to the lower portion of the tiles. For this function alone, very little iron is required.

I am also aware that iron rods have been used to strengthen concrete girders, and have been secured at each end by slightly corrugating them for about one fourth of their length, the corrugations increasing in depth at the extreme ends; and that rivets or other heads have been formed on the ends of rods for the same purpose. My rod difiers radically from these in that the rods are of sufficient stidness and corrugated throughout, to firmly grasp the cement and make a continuous bond from end to end,-an efiect not obtained by securing them at each end; for in the latter case the cement may crack and open at any point a distance equal to the total elongation of the rod between the portions so anchored or secured at each end, the straight portion of the rod drawing through the concrete to that extent. When on the other hand, a continuous bond is had no such cracking and opening of the cement can occur be cause the rod would have to stretch locally or between corrugations an amount equal to the cracking of the concrete which is impossible, without the rupture of the rod.

From the foregoing description of my invention it will be clear that it is applicable to roots for smelter fines and to covering for any building not intended to be walked upon or to receive loads.

Having now fully described the essential features of my invention as embodied in ceilings, and desiring to secure allmodifications that may be made without departing from the principles of my invention, as well as the forms shown, I claim as my own the following:

1. The method of constructing a ceiling, or like structure, by supporting a series of rods above a temporary support or platform, then pressing grooved or channeled tiles ready cemented down upon the said rods,thereby causing the rods to penetrate into the grooves or channels and become embedded in the cement; and thereafter removing the temporary support, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

2. The method of laying ceiling or like tiles provided with grooves or channels for tension rods in their lower faces, by temporarily supporting the rods in position, filling the said grooves or channels with cement, and pressing the tiles onto the rods, whereby the tiles are forced into the cemented grooves or channels, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

3. A ceiling, roof or like structure, containing courses of tiles provided with ribst upon their upper faces and tension rods secured at or near the bases of the said tiles and c0ntinuous from end to end of the said courses, the said ribs forming the compression bearing member of the structure and the said rods forming the tension bearing member of the structure separated from but rigidly se-' cured together by the intermediate portionof the structure, and thereby producing a self sustaining ceilingwithout end-thrust, in distinction from an arched or suspend-ing ceiling, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' 4. Aceiling, roof, orlike structure, containing tiles provided with ribs 6 upon their upper faces, and tension supporting rods cemented in channels in the tiles and located near the lower face of the structure; the said ribs forming the compression-bearing member and the said rods the tension bearing member, separated but rigidly secured together by the intermediate portion of the structure, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

5. For use in ceilings, roofs and like structures, a rod consisting of a wire or strand of undulating form throughout its length and possessing sufficient stiffness to preserve its form, whereby the deviations from thestraight line may insure its more firm grip within cement substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

6. For usein ceilings, roofs and like structures a stiff non-shearing rod of undulating form and without Spreaders, whereby the deviation from the straight line mayinsure the firm grip of the rod within cement or other embedding material substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

7. In combination in a ceiling, roof, or like structure, tilework cemented together, and undulating tension rods cemented in or near the base of the said tilework, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

8. In combination for the purposes set forth, an I-beam, a rod, R, and a clamp or hanger 0 formed to embrace the lower flanges of the said I-beam and permit the said rod to lie within the clamp and extend beneath the I beam, substantially as described.

9. In combination in a ceiling, a pair of I- 'beams, one or more courses of tiles provided with ribs projecting over the flanges of the said I-beams and supporting the courses with the lower face of the tiles level with or below the lower flanges of the said I-beams, and tension rods cemented at the base of the said tiles and extending transversely between the said I-beams, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand this 21st day of April, 1893.

THOMAS A. LEE. 

